Sunday, May 18, 2014

Mango Salsa



Those who bored with the regular slices of tomatoes or cucumber salads  can, try something different for a change- a Salsa.A salsa is a kind of spicy sauce popular in Mexican cuisine. The basic ingredients consist of chopped fresh tomatoes, green chilies, coriander, onions, lime juice and sometimes even capsicum.
 Salsas need not be restricted to just vegetables or pulses, you can even make it with fruits! . You can mix two fruits together or make a vegetable-fruit combo. Just use your imagination and you can dish out infinite number of salsa combos! You can substitute mango with any other fruit) or vegetable of your choice to make a salsa. . Tickle your taste buds with colorful salsas. I tried with other fruits too But, This Mango Salsa was great hit in my home.

Ingredients:
 Mango -1 cup, cubed
Onion-1/2 cup (finely chopped)
Tomato:- 1/2 cup( finely chopped)
Capcicum-1/2 cup (diced)
Coriander leaves: 2tbsp (finely chopped)
Lime juice: 1 tsp
Green chilies: ½ (finely chopped)
Salt and pepper to taste
 
Method:
 Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
 Chill 25-30 minutes before serving

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Badam Kheer/Almond Kheer



Badam Kheer/Almond Kheer is a popular dessert dish and that’s perfect to serve it cold for a summer lunch party or hot during the winters. . It is so simple to make but also a rich and creamy dessert. The use of saffron in this badam kheer recipe not only adds an aromatic flavor but also gives it a rich creamy color. . I made this Kheer for my daughter’s Birthday. This Kheer is one of my family’s favorite.

 Ingredients:
Almonds-1/2cup
Cashews-2tbs
Condensed milk – 1 can  or Sugar-1/2cup
Milk- 3 cups       
Cardamom powder-1/2tsp
Saffron – few strands
Yellow food color(optional)-  a drop

Method:
1.the almonds and cashews in water separately for 2-3 hours.
2.Peel the skin of the almonds and grind both almonds and cashews to a paste with 1/2cup of milk.
3.Soak the saffron in a 1tbsp of warm milk and keep aside.     
4.In a sauce pan boil the milk in a medium flame till it becomes thick; Keep on stirring the milk to avoid burning at the bottom.
5.When it come to boil, lower the flame and add the saffron strands along with condensed milk and stir. First add half a can, mix well and check if there is right amount of sweet.
6. Add more if you want. Keep on stirring till the milk reduces to 1/3 of the quantity
7.NowAdd the ground almond cahew paste and cook on medium heat, stirring continuously, for about five minutes or till the mixtures thickens a little. if the kheer is too thick, add some milkand reduce the flame. Add ground cardamom
8. Remove from heat and let it cool. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours once it becomes cool down. once the kheer cools down, it thickens, so you can add some fresh milk to adjust the consistency
9.Chilled Badam Kheer is ready to serve. Garnish it with finely chopped nuts & saffron strands.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Homemade Granola Bars



This Granola Bar Recipe is healthy, low fat, full of vitamins and proteins at the same time delicious. These homemade nutrition bars are perfect to start your day or as an anytime snack.  It has whole grains, nuts and fruits.  The best part about making it is, you get to pick your choice of fruits and nuts. There are many ways and various flavors you can play with while making your Granola Bars. My Healthy Granola Bar are packed with oats, raisins, honey and also  added almonds, pistachios and walnuts sesame seeds, and a little bit of chocolate.

Ingredients:
Cooking Oats - 1 cup
Cornflakes-1/4 cup
Light Brown Sugar - 3/4 cup
Honey - 1/2 cup
Butter - 1 tbsp
Water - 1 tbsp
Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp
Peanuts-1/4 cup
Almonds - 1/2 cup
Cashews - 1/2 cup
Golden, black raisins and Dates - 1/4 cup
Dried figs/anjeer,finely chopped-3-4
Sesame Seeds - 2 tbsp(White & Black)
Chocolate chips- 1 tbsp
Method:
1. First dry roast oats, cornflakes, nuts and dry fruits in a pan until a nice aroma comes and oats starts slightly browning up. Keep aside
2. Now in the same pan, add butter heat it till it melts. Now add honey, demererar sugar, vanilla essence and water, heat it until the mixture starts bubbling up.
3. At this stage add the roasted oats, cornflakes and nuts mixture and mix well until the honey mixture is coated on all sides of the oats cornflakes mixture.
4. Then transfer the entire contents into the greased pan and press well
 and spread it using a spoon or a wooden laddle to 1/4 or 1/2 inch thickness. Straighten the edges and make it as a square or rectangle.
5. Sprinkle chocolate chips all over and press them into the mixture as well.Cover it with another butter paper and press them down gently.Allow them to cool for 15mins then cut into bars.
6. Store them in an airtight container and enjoy them any time.